The shopping district in Eldermere was quite large. Most stayed alive using the dungeon for drops. Some died trying to get those same drops.
Today, the area was abnormally packed with people. Carts rolled past one another, filled with those eager to barter and trade.
The duo made it before dinnertime, never quite stopping the quiet argument that had followed them the entire way.
'I'm telling you, Elena. Do not spend all of our money,' Luke said.
'And I told you I earned all of it. It's mine, remember?' Elena replied. 'Don't worry. I'll make sure there's enough for us to survive a few more days.'
Luke's shoulders eased slightly, a look of relief washing over his face.
'I never know what you're thinking. Ever since we got paired together, it's been crazy,' Luke said. 'You're like a wildfire. Unstoppable. It is your fault we're stuck in the same room right now.'
'Don't act like you aren't enjoying it, and did you just call me stubborn with bigger words?' Elena shot back, a clear smirk on her face.
They both broke into a short laugh before moving on to the shop they were looking for.
Kairo's Wears and Tears.
'Hey, Kairo,' Elena said. 'We're here to drop off the loot from our dive.'
Kairo was the city's equivalent of a pawnshop owner. He brokered deals with anybody, and he meant anybody.
'Ahh, if it isn't the beautiful Elena,' the shopkeeper said. 'What wares do you have for me?'
Elena grabbed her backpack, opening the top. She rummaged inside before finding what she was after.
'Here,' she said, handing him a glass jar.
Kairo inspected it, its contents packed tight with soul gems, enough to fill it completely. Each one shimmered faintly with the residue of the monsters they'd killed.
'Wow,' he said. 'That's a lot of soul gems. Shame they're such low quality.' He glanced up. 'How long were you on the first floor?'
'Three whole days,' Luke sighed, looking at Elena. 'She just wouldn't stop. We barely ate, let alone slept.'
'Scary,' Kairo snorted.
'These will fetch you roughly twenty-five hundred shards,' he said. 'If they weren't cracked, I could offer more, but…'
Shards were the world's standard currency. Everything outside of direct trade was handled with them, a universal rule taught by the guild the moment you joined.
'I knew she was going too hard on those poor slimes,' Luke muttered, watching Elena drift toward a rack of swords, her eyes gleaming with interest. 'They never stood a chance.'
Both men looked at each other and let out a slight grin. Elena was known in this city. Anyone that loud was bound to be talked about, and Elena was a hot subject most nights when the lights got dim at the inn.
Most days, before grouping up with Luke, she would be approached by countless men asking her to join their party. She never accepted any invites until she met Luke.
Luke had tucked himself away in the back corner of the city's inn, book in hand and no thoughts toward the outside world. He liked quiet and predictable. He thrived on routine. Then he looked up from his book.
Elena had been approached like this every other night since he'd started staying there. Tonight, there were more people than normal. Luke noticed the look on her face immediately.
The moment more men showed up Luke chose to move. He was moving fast rehearsing lines as he walked. Stopping just behind Elena.
'Didn't you guys hear? We formed a party this morning,' Luke said, Elena looking at him with question.
Elena was smart and cunning on top of beautiful. 'Oh hey, I didn't see you there, teammate,' Elena managed.
The men, clearly disgruntled, cleared out, leaving the duo alone. They walked back to where Luke's books were and took a seat.
'Thank you,' Elena said. 'I've only been here a week, and it seems like the crowd gets thicker and thicker every night. The name's Elena.'
'Luke,' he replied. 'I hope I didn't impose too much. It looked like you needed help.'
'I needed help?' she asked. 'You barely got those words out without biting your tongue. If you're scared, why did you speak up? You could have just watched.'
'I couldn't watch. The look on your face said you were uncomfortable. I just did what anybody who's not a scumbag would do.'
That was how it all started.
After they finished their shopping with Kairo, they headed back to the inn, scents slowly growing thicker as they got closer.
'Smells like Lizz has something good cooking,' Luke said.
'Her cooking is the best. It makes me feel like I'm back home again,' Elena replied.
The two sat at a table and ordered food, talking late into the night before eventually heading up to their room.
'I'm going to wash up and head to bed,' Elena said. 'Thank you for making that call. Sometimes I can get a little…'
'Hard-headed,' Luke cut in.
That earned him a quick glance from Elena, followed by a slight twitch at the side of her lips before she stormed off to the bathroom.
Elena returned cleaned up, hair still wet, towel held tight against her body. Her slim figure was more openly apparent. Luke tried not to look.
'Hey, no looking,' Elena teased.
'I'm not. I promise,' he lied.
After finishing up and getting dressed, Elena went to bed, quickly falling asleep like she never had a care in the world.
Luke stayed up later. He sat next to a lamp reading his books, studying previous battle data, cross-referencing things in his dungeon index.
'I still wonder what those black things were,' he whispered to himself. 'They looked wrong, and the way the receptionist reacted is adding up to something I don't like.'
Eventually, his gaze drifted above the books, settling on Elena as she slept. The soft rise and fall of her breathing. Every now and then, she let out a small snort that caught Luke's attention.
That night, while Elena slept and Luke pretended to read, he couldn't keep his thoughts from circling back to her.